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A record number of migrants have arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands this year. Most are from Senegal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A record number of migrants have made the treacherous boat journey on the Atlantic Ocean to Spain’s Canary Islands this year, and most of the 32,000 people are coming from Senegal.The islands, located off West Africa, have been used for decades as a stepping stone to Europe. Boats also depart from Gambia, Mauritania, Morocco and Western Sahara.According to an Associated Press tally of figures released by Spain’s Interior Ministry and local emergency services, at least 32,029 people landed on the Canary Islands from Jan. 1 to Nov. 5. That exceeds the migration crisis of 2006, when 31,678 migrants disembarked.Smugglers in Senegal pack young people looking for better opportunities in Europe into old artisanal fishing boats, charging them around 300,000 CFA francs ($490). The journey from Senegal to the Canaries usually takes a week of difficult upwind sailing for around 1,600 km (1,000 miles).Migrant boats frequently shipwreck or disappear in the Atlantic.To avo...

Donald Trump begins testifying in his New York civil trial over allegations that he lied to banks about his wealth

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump begins testifying in his New York civil trial over allegations that he lied to banks about his wealth.Source

Safe2Tell reports jump 16% to highest number ever

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Safe2Tell reports reached their highest number ever last school year, with suicide threats and bullying at the top of the list.The anonymous youth reporting program saw a 16% increase in reports during the 2022-23 school year. That's according to the latest Safe2Tell annual report, released Monday by the Colorado Attorney General's Office. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox "Colorado students faced several significant challenges, including bullying, drugs and suicidal thoughts," Safe2Tell director Stacey Jenkins wrote in the report. "Safe2Tell was there to receive these reports and prevent tragedies before they occur."The total number of reports was just shy of 22,500, bringing it to the highest number since the program's inception in 2004.Students are encouraged to use Safe2Tell to prevent harm in school communities."We remind students that, 'if they see something harmful, say something helpful.' Safe2Tell is away to report anonymou...

Broncos ready for 3rd straight win after bye week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Rested and ready to roll. Coming off the bye week, it’s full steam ahead for the Denver Broncos.“There is a mental break that allows you to come back focused and ready to go for this stretch,” Head coach Sean Payton said on his Monday morning Zoom call.Sure the record of 3-5 isn’t great, but one could argue the arrow is pointed upwards after back-to-back wins over the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.“Clearly, I feel like we are a better team than we were four or five weeks ago,” Payton said looking back on the first half of the season. “From an overview of the team, I think we are a lot further down the road. Because of that, you get more invested and recognize the next opportunity at hand.” Broncos’ Justin Simmons named AFC Defensive Player of the Week Up next, the first of two primetime national television appearances. The first one is on Monday Night Football in Buffalo against the Bills and then Sunday Night Football hosting the Minnesota Vikings.“The ...

Youth soccer game interrupted by gunfire in police confrontation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

NOCATEE, Fla. (WSVN) — A youth soccer game was abruptly disrupted as gunfire erupted during a police confrontation with a burglary suspect, leaving parents and children traumatized. Karl Johnston was watching his 9-year-old daughter play soccer at Davis Park when an unexpected incident unfolded. A man ran by, shooting at deputies, who responded by firing back. “He came running right by us,” recalled Johnston. “We were probably about 15 yards away from the shooter when he came down running.”The chaotic scene sent shockwaves through the community.“Everyone panicked, and got all of the kids on the ground, moving away from the shooter,” recounted Johnston. “The shooter went further down, and several cops were chasing him, firing. All of the kids were traumatized, screaming, crying. Parents crying. Unbelievable in this area.”One parent described how they huddled in their car with their family for at least 45 minutes, waiting for the a...

Miami Beach firefighters answer call for help in Israeli cities

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

In a show of solidarity, eight dedicated members of the Miami Beach Fire Department are gearing up for an overseas mission to provide vital assistance to those trapped in the war-torn region of Gaza. Their mission is to stand in for the Israeli first responders who have been called to military service following the recent surprise attack by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7.These firefighters will be stationed in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or Haifa, depending on the specific needs, through the Emergency Volunteers Project. This project serves the critical purpose of aiding the State of Israel during times of emergency.Notably, this mission isn’t the first of its kind. Several other South Florida firefighters have previously volunteered for two-week deployments to provide crucial support in similar challenging circumstances. “We’ve been running maybe three to four calls a day,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Captain Jason Friedman, who embarked on a two-week deploymen...

Behold ‘Grok,’ Elon Musk’s AI chatbot with a ‘rebellious’ streak

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

London (CNN) — Brace yourselves. Jokes incoming. Elon Musk has announced the introduction of “Grok,” an artificially intelligent chatbot, for some users of X, which the billionaire suggests has a sarcastic sense of humor similar to his own.Musk, who has owned X — formerly known as Twitter — for a year, announced late Saturday that Grok is being trained by having “real-time access” to information from the platform.Musk’s AI startup, xAI, which developed the bot, said in a blogpost that it took inspiration from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy sci-fi novel by British author Douglas Adams.Grok “loves sarcasm,” Musk posted on X. “I have no idea who could have guided it this way.”“Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor!” xAI said in its blogpost.The bot is still in an early stage of testing, Musk said, but will soon be made available to subscribers of X’s Prem...

Boris Johnson called Rishi Sunak’s Treasury a ‘pro-death squad,’ COVID inquiry hears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson joked that the U.K. Treasury was a “pro-death squad” as he pushed to ease coronavirus restrictions, the country’s official COVID-19 inquiry heard.Extracts from the contemporaneous diary of Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser during the pandemic, were read out by inquiry counsel Dermot Keating during the probe’s latest evidence session Monday.They center on Johnson views about progressively relaxing COVID restrictions through the country’s “tier” system of regional curbs — and suggest Johnson wanted to enlist lockdown-skeptics from the top finance department run at the time by Rishi Sunak, who eventually succeeded Johnson as prime minister.The inquiry heard that Johnson “wants tier 3 [by] March 1, tier 2 [by] April 1, tier 1 [by] May 1 and nothing by September.” According to Vallance’s diary, Johnson ended the meeting “by saying the team must bring in the pro-death squad fro...

Judge chides Trump as ex-president testifies in civil fraud trial: ‘This is not a political rally’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge presiding over the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump admonished him to keep his answers concise, reminding him and the courtroom that “this is not a political rally” as the former president and leading Republican president candidate began testifying in a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth.“We don’t have time to waste. We have one day to do this,” an exasperated Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engeron said at one point. At another, he said, “In addition to the answers being non-responsive, they’re repetitive.”Trump’s turn on the witness stand, in a case that cuts to the heart of the business brand he spent decades crafting, represents a remarkable convergence of his legal troubles and his political ventures at a time when he also faces criminal indictments while vying to reclaim the White House in 2024.The testimony gives him the opportunity to try to use the witness stand as a campaign platfor...

More than 10,000 killed in Gaza, Hamas-controlled health ministry says, as condemnation of Israel’s campaign grows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:23:57 GMT

(CNN) — More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military offensive nearly a month ago, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said Monday.Israel declared war on Hamas after the Islamist militant group launched a brutal attack on October 7, killing 1,400 in Israel and kidnapping more than 240. Israel retaliated by launching an air and ground offensive on Gaza, vowing to eliminate the militant group.Ashraf Al Qudra, spokesperson for the ministry, said 10,022 Palestinians in the enclave had been killed by Israeli strikes, including 4,104 children, 2,641 women and 611 elderly people. Those numbers suggest about three-quarters of the dead are from vulnerable populations. The ministry also reported 25,408 injured.It’s unclear how many combatants are included in the total. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers released by the ministry in Gaza, which is sealed off by Israel and mostly sealed by E...